408 Mr. J. D. D. La Touchc on the 



underlying spots. Some clutches are very finely speckled. 

 In one clutch collected by our men in 1897 there is a very 

 broad ring, amounting to a cap in two of the eggs, of con- 

 fluent spots and blotches. In most of the clutches the 

 markings are most numerous about the large end of tlie 

 egg, -where they form a generally rough, but sometimes 

 regular, ring. In a few cases there is a cap, and finely- 

 speckled eggs have often a few large spots or sometimes 

 blotches about the large end. The eggs of the same clutch 

 are not always of the same type, there being often one or 

 more eggs the markings of which do not resemble those of 

 the others. 



The shape is very variable, ranging from a regular ovate 

 to a broad oval. A broad ovate with a broad rounded 

 apex is the most usual shape. The texture is very finely 

 shagreened, and the surface is glossy. Eighty-eight eggs 

 average 0'73xO'.54 inch; this does not include the eggs 

 of an abnormally narrow clutch which measure 0"67 X 0'50, 

 0-68 X 0-51, 0-70 X 05], and 0-71 x 0-51 inch. The 

 longest eggs (two) measure 0*76 x 0*56 inch, and the 

 shortest (one) 065 x 0"55 inch. The abnormal clutch ex- 

 cepted, the variation in breadth is from 0*52 (one egg only) 

 to 059 inch. The most common length is between 0*68 and 

 0'73 inch, and the most common breadth lies between 0*55 

 and 0*57 inch. 



60. Ptererythrus ^ertlatus Tickell. 



This handsome bird is common in the forests about 

 Kuatun. I am sorry to say that I only saw it once, but I 

 heard it several times. The call is a loud monotonous 

 chirrup, something like " tiup-tiup-tiup-tiuptiup.^' The 

 attitude when perched is very shrike-like. The food appears 

 to consist of beetles, seeds, and caterpillars. 



The soft parts of specimens shot at Kuatun are : — Iris 

 black, with grey outer ring ; upper mandible blue-black ; 

 lower mandible leaden blue ; legs pinkish flesh ; claws more 

 or less dark reddish grey. Total length: ^ , QQ, Q'7 , 7 

 inches ; ? , 6'8, 6"9 inches. 



